Photo Exhibition - "Below the Poverty Line" @ DRIK, Dhaka 23rd-30th Sep, 2007

Below the Poverty Line (BPL) by Suchit Nanda The headlines on 26th April 2007 newspapers in India screamed and declared "India a trillion dollar economy", but does this headline really matter to over 350 million Indians? Probably not as arguably, that many Indians can't read or write a word. For that matter, they probably don't really understand the meaning of the word economy or the number of digits in trillion! Visiting rural India in a place (GPS data included with images) about 300 kms from Nagpur in Maharashtra state and bordering with Madhya Pradesh State one comes face to face with this reality. On an ICT evaluation visit, I was amazed to learn that most of the villages I visited had 100% illiteracy. All of them fall under this virtual line that we have drawn called "The Below Poverty Line (BPL)". In other words living on an earning of under a dollar a day. The BPL Census in India is conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development at the beginning of each Five year Plan period. According to the survey and estimates, the number of people living below the poverty line (BPL) in the country continues to remain in the range of 22-23 crore, while in terms of net percentage of population it has decreased. This suggests that the series of poverty alleviation programmes undertaken by the Government between 1993-94 and 2004-05 have had only a minimal impact on the real economic situation of a larger section of the population, according to the findings of the National Sample Survey (NSS). A visit to any of the villages shows this is true. In August, 1995 The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was passed. It states that every state government shall within six months from the date of commencement of this Act, make a scheme for providing not less than one hundred days of guaranteed employment in a financial year to every household in the rural areas scheme and whose adult members, by application, volunteer to do unskilled manual work. Ironically even to fill the form for this one needs to be literate. Even though thousands of crore rupees have been allocated and Governmental and NGOs have tried to help by offering assistance in this regards, the benefit does not seem to percolate down to all. Even this limited financial assistance has not reached everyone. On my visit to villages such as Banur, Pathakila, Pipalna and others I could see the levels of poverty and sufferings. Some of the villages I visited get cut off from the rest of the civilization for nearly 3 months each year due to the monsoon season. Healthcare is poor and even the basic amenities like clean water was an ordeal. Suchit Nanda's photography exhibition "Below the Poverty Line" was held from 25th to 30th September, 2007 at the Drik Gallery, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Suchit is a majority world photographer and regularly contributes to http://www.majorityworld.com/ The exhibition was part of a series of activities carried out under UNESCO's Artist in Development Programme funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Norwegian Embassy). See: http://majorityworld.com/features.php?sessioid=&features_id=17

Invitation to "Below the Poverty Line" photography exhibition of Suchit Nanda's images held from 25th to 30th September, 2007 at the Drik Gallery, Dhaka. The exhibition was part of a series of activities carried out under UNESCO's Artist in Development Programme funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Norwegian Embassy). Suchit is a majority world photographer and regularly contributes to http://www.majorityworld.com/
Artist in Development Programme Below the Poverty Line Nanda Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Norwegian Embassy Suchit UNESCO dhaka drik gallery exhibition majority world photo photographer photography www.majorityworld.com
Invitation to "Below the Poverty Line" photography exhibition of Suchit Nanda's images held from 25th to 30th September, 2007 at the Drik Gallery, Dhaka. The exhibition was part of a series of activities carried out under UNESCO's Artist in Development Programme funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Norwegian Embassy). Suchit is a majority world photographer and regularly contributes to http://www.majorityworld.com/
Artist in Development Programme Below the Poverty Line Nanda Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Norwegian Embassy Suchit UNESCO dhaka drik gallery exhibition majority world photo photographer photography www.majorityworld.com
Entrance to Drik Gallery where a photography exhibition of Suchit Nanda's images "Below the Poverty Line" was held from 25th to 30th September, 2007 at the Drik Gallery, Dhaka. The exhibition was part of a series of activities carried out under UNESCO's Artist in Development Programme funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Norwegian Embassy). Suchit is a majority world photographer and regularly contributes to http://www.majorityworld.com/
Artist in Development Programme Below the Poverty Line Nanda Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Norwegian Embassy Suchit UNESCO dhaka drik gallery exhibition majority world photo photographer photography www.majorityworld.com
Photography exhibition of Suchit Nanda's images "Below the Poverty Line" held from 25th to 30th September, 2007 at the Drik Gallery, Dhaka. The exhibition was part of a series of activities carried out under UNESCO's Artist in Development Programme funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Norwegian Embassy). Suchit is a majority world photographer and regularly contributes to http://www.majorityworld.com/
Artist in Development Programme Below the Poverty Line Nanda Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Norwegian Embassy Suchit UNESCO dhaka drik gallery exhibition majority world photo photographer photography www.majorityworld.com
"Below the Poverty Line" photography exhibition of Suchit Nanda's images held from 25th to 30th September, 2007 at the Drik Gallery, Dhaka. The exhibition was part of a series of activities carried out under UNESCO's Artist in Development Programme funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Norwegian Embassy). Suchit is a majority world photographer and regularly contributes to http://www.majorityworld.com/
Artist in Development Programme Below the Poverty Line Nanda Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Norwegian Embassy Suchit UNESCO dhaka drik gallery exhibition majority world photo photographer photography www.majorityworld.com
Visitors to the photographic exhibition "Below the Poverty Line" - a photography exhibition of Suchit Nanda's images held from 25th to 30th September, 2007 at the Drik Gallery, Dhaka. The exhibition was part of a series of activities carried out under UNESCO's Artist in Development Programme funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Norwegian Embassy). Suchit is a majority world photographer and regularly contributes to http://www.majorityworld.com/
Artist in Development Programme Below the Poverty Line Nanda Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Norwegian Embassy Suchit UNESCO dhaka drik gallery exhibition majority world photo photographer photography www.majorityworld.com
India: "Simply Old": This old man was sitting at the corner outside his house and watching everyone passing by. Took permission to take his picture. Image taken in a village near Nagpur, Maharashtra. Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur man old old man red rural sweater tattered torn turban village
India: "Bejewelled": This girl in her school uniform, came to the entrance of her home and peeped out when I got this image. In a few fleeting moments she was gone as she hopped and skipped away. Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur bejewelled bindi dress eyes girl lipstick rural school uniform village
India: A close up of a child playing on the floor of the simple house in a village near Nagpur, Maharashtra. Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur child house playing rural village
India: This young girl gathered and is carrying the fire wood to her home in a local village near Nagpur, Maharashtra. Living on the edge of a forest burning wood collected from the forest is the primary source of fuel.
Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur fire wood forest girl rural village wood
India: Women in a village near Nagpur, Maharashtra, India, come to the locall hand pumped well to collect water for their homes.
India Maharashtra Nagpur child girl hand pump rural saree vessels village water well woman
India: Villager returning wtih his cattle which were taken to graze the grass. Living on a very low income the villagers depend on their cattle and farm lands. Image taken near Nagpur, Maharasthra in India
Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur cattle cow grazing man rural village villager
India: Children in a village near Nagpur, Maharashtra, India doing "Namaste" which is a form of welcome or greeting. Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur children happy namaste rural smiling village
India: Sister carrying her brother in a village near Nagpur, Maharashtra. Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur boy brother child girl monkey cap rural scarf sister village wood
India: Saw this little girl standing outside the door to her house in a village near Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.
India Maharashtra Nagpur child girl rural village
India: Children in a village near Nagpur, Maharashtra, India standing outside the home.
India Maharashtra Nagpur children door happy infant poor rural thatched village village home wood
India: Close up portrait of an elderly person. This old man had a very staid expression and looked like he had seen many ups and down in his life. Sitting outside his house, he was watching as the people passed by in a village near Nagpur, Maharashtra. Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur asia elder man old rural shirt south turban village wrinkles
India: This old lady sitting in front of her home is using a paste made from local herbs to clean her teeth. Medical services are rather poor and insufficient in such villages near Nagpur, Maharashtra. Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur cleaning mouth rural teeth village wash
India: "Deep thought": This lady was listening while attending a meeting organized by SIRDI which is an NGO working with rural women. In their conversation, they told me that even a few years back let alone talk or being photographed they would not even come near a man but today with the working of the NGOs in the village they have a better understanding and knowledge so they wish to participate.
Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur lady portrait rural saree tatoo thinking thought village woman
India: This young lady is preparing for the multiple pots that will go on her head which will carry the water from the local village hand pump in a village near Nagpur, Maharashtra. Seen in the fore ground are the vessles which she will be carrying. Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur lady pot rural saree vessel village water
India: This young lady is soaking and washing the lentils (Daal) in a vessel outside her home in a village near Nagpur, Maharashtra. Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur daal lentil rural soaking vessel village washing
India: Close up portrait of a lady in a village near Nagpur, Maharashtra. Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur lady portrait rural village woman
India: A young mother looks on as she breast feeds her child in a village near Nagpur, Maharashtra. Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur bangles bindi breast breast feeding child feeding lady mother rural saree suhag village
India: In a village near Nagpur, Maharashtra I took a portrait of this lady in a blue saree. Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur blue lady portrait rural saree village woman
India: Portrait of a lady in a village near Nagpur, Maharashtra. Jan 2007.
India Maharashtra Nagpur lady rural saree village woman